There’s a new look for field hockey teams in the Blossom Valley Athletic League this season: Gone is the West Valley Division, and so are the teams from the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

Teams like Los Gatos and Cupertino, who both won BVAL division championships a year ago, have left the league, along with their SCVAL mates Saratoga, Los Altos, Lynbrook, Monta Vista and Homestead.

That doesn’t mean, though, that the league now belongs to only BVAL schools. West Catholic Athletic League powers Archbishop Mitty, St. Francis, Presentation and St. Ignatius remain, along with Gilroy of the Monterey Bay League and University of San Francisco of the Bay Area Conference.

Four BVAL schools–Leigh, Leland, Live Oak and Prospect–will compete in the league’s top tier, the Mt. Hamilton Division, along with Gilroy, Mitty, Presentation and St. Francis, and six others–Branham, Del Mar, Sobrato, San Jose, Westmont and Willow Glen–will battle St. Ignatius and University in the Santa Teresa circuit.

Teams in both divisions are wrapping up non-league play this week before getting into the BVAL season with a full slate of games next week.

The Santa Teresa Division gets under way on Sept. 24 when SI visits San Jose, University heads to Del Mar, Willow Glen travels to Westmont and Branham hosts Sobrato. A day later Mt. Hamilton teams going with St. Francis at Leland, Prospect at Live Oak, Prez at Leigh and Gilroy at Mitty.

Los Gatos won the Mt. Hamilton title last fall at 12-1-1 with Mitty a close second at 11-1-2 and Gilroy third at 9-3-2. Leland was the only BVAL school in the division a year ago and Chargers were winless at 0-14.

Cupertino won the Santa Teresa championship at 13-1 with Leigh, Live Oak and Lynbrook sharing second at 7-6-1.

Willow Glen is the only returning BVAL champion, even its division is no longer part of the league. The Rams posted a 10-1-1 record to win the West Valley crown. Westmont and Homestead matched 6-2-4 marks to share second.

In early action this year, Presentation, a 3-0 winner over Willow Glen in its season opener, knocked off Los Altos 3-1 last week. Goals by seniors Molly O’Flaherty and Aleksandra Konrad, a team co-captain with Monique Romanowsky, and junior Emily Packer sparked the Panthers to the win. Sophomore Rebecca Hennessey and junior Michelle Huber chipped in with assists.

Willow Glen had opened the year with a 1-0 win over Christopher. Junior Jaclyn Iseman scored the lone goal for the Rams off a corner.

Along with the loss to Presentation, the Rams have been stung with a tough 1-0 loss to North Salinas and a 2-0 loss to Prospect.

“We’ve faced tough competition and have continued to improve in each game,” said Willow Glen coach Ashley Haight. “We have a young team this year.”

Co-captains Audrey Haight and Seleste Lopez–both returning all-leaguers for the Rams–top a list of six seniors on the Willow Glen squad. Haight won all-league first team honors a year ago and Lopez was named to the all-league second team.

“Each senior has done an excellent job of stepping into a leadership role, especially captains Audrey Haight and Seleste Lopez,” said the coach. “These girls have done an amazing job at taking the lead and holding the team to a high, competitive standard.”

Haight also praised the work of defender Tiffany Tse, who joins Iseman as one of eight juniors on a squad that also features five sophomores.

“[Tse] has done a great job at taking control of the backfield,” added the coach. “She is strong, confident and aggressive, all crucial to be a successful player.”

The first-year coach is looking forward to the year as the Rams prepare for play in the Santa Teresa Division and their league home opener on Sept. 26, 3:30 p.m., against Sobrato.

“This is an exciting time for our team,” said Haight. “We’re making the necessary adjustments on the field, maintaining our high level of fitness and incorporating team bonding off the field as well.”